Chuck vs His Best Friend
by chrisgrey
Summary: Best friend and renowned partners, Chuck Bartowski and Bryce Larkin are the best the CIA has to offer, save for the mysterious enigma that is Sarah Walker. When she goes rogue for unknown reasons and the two friends are sent to retrieve her, everything changes.
1. Chapter 1: Who is she?

Chuck vs. His Best Friend

Best friend and renowned partners, Chuck Bartowski and Bryce Larkin are the best the CIA has to offer, save for the mysterious enigma that is Sarah Walker. When she loses contact for unknown reasons and the two friends are sent to retrieve her, everything changes.

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

**First, Last, and only story I'll write here. **

**Chapter One: Who is she? **

**-Burbank, California: In-n -Out Burger: 4: 00 PM-**

"I love California." Bryce grinned through a mouthful of gourmet cheeseburger, barely giving himself time to swallow as he appeared to vacuum his double double. It was sunny outside, but that wasn't surprising; not where they were. Bryce's light pools of blue were brimming with light as he bit into his burger once more. It'd been a successful day.

"Sure is nice to visit the family." Chuck agreed, watching his best friend of about 4 years chow down on the local food. His chocolate eyes found their way to their surroundings once more; not that he had anything to fret over, anyway.

"Forget that-" Bryce paused, "-This burger is exclusive to here, Nevada, and ...where was it...Arizona?" he gushed.

"Okay buddy..." Chuck chuckled. "I get it. It's great." he mirrored Bryce and bit into his little piece of heaven.

"This has been a productive day." Bryce declared triumphantly, taking a sip of his chocolate shake.

"Well..." Chuck bit his lip comically. "Let's see. We...ate some terribly unhealthy food. We-"

"-got you a kick ass haircut. Curls? Old fashioned, kiddie Chuck. Now? You look like a high roller spy." Bryce declared, admiring Chuck's new, shorter hair. He looked debonair, like the guys in all the movies. He was beginning to feel like Bryce.

"You've been in Afghanistan, settling territorial disputes with nothing but a pistol with one in the chamber and you think that _this..." _Chuck motioned to his empty burger wrapper, "-Has been productive?"

"Oh, Chuck." Bryce smiled, leaning back in the hard red and white striped bench the In-n-Out company had to offer. "You're always so...you..."

"Thank...you?" Chuck quizzically.

The two busted out laughing.

"You know...I'm thinking we might get some down time to play zork...and you know...finish what we started." Bryce grinned.

"With Beckman's new promotion? As if." Chuck snorted, rising from the table as they headed over to his car.

"What, she can't have us working day and night…." Bryce complained, straightening as he fell back into the passenger seat.

"Today was our break, Bryce." Chuck reminded with a smile. "We're supposed to be back in D.C. tomorrow, and I-"

Chuck's phone blared a dark, satanic ring tone. It sounded like a symphony from hell. And there on the screen of his IPhone was Satan's purest form, Diane Beckman: wrinkles and all.

"Dude, you gotta record this…" Bryce was busting a gut laughing.

Chuck shushed him in a swift motion and answered. "Bartowski…secure." He saluted the general in the usual fashion; verbally.

"Agent, I need you and Larkin to return home, ASAP…."

"The apartment?" Chuck's heart began to hammer. Had something happened to Ellie? Morgan? Devon?

"Yes. It's officially back to work." In her words, it was a reassurance that all was fine…in regards to his family, anyway.

"Yes general." Chuck waited for the disconnecting beep.

"What the hell was that?" Bryce heard the conversation thoroughly.

"It's Beckman…obviously. She wants us back at the apartment….says it's urgent."

"Urgent? Did any of those NSA gorillas spill coffee on her desk or something?" Bryce raised his brow.

"I don't know…but let's not wait around." Chuck pulled into the main street with his CIA issued Lotus and headed for Echo Park.

It was one of those rare moments that could only be described as: weird. Brigadier General Diane Beckman was temporarily "taking up residence" on Chuck's couch. Technically, it was Ellie's as Chuck's apartment was in D.C., but, it was his for all intents and purposes.

He and Bryce bolted through the front door and gate, (which was surrounded by "inconspicuous" escalades, all black, of course), and into the living room to see Beckman and her entire group of cronies and guards, all standing at position.

"Hi….general." The boys greeted her with an air of awkwardness. It was silent for a moment.

"Not to be a bad host, but uh…" Chuck began, nervously. "What are you doing in my sister's living room?"

"I couldn't bring you to the briefing fast enough…so I brought the briefing to you." Beckman informed them airily. "Sit."

Like two obedient dogs, the agents sat and paid full attention. This had to be good.

"One of our best, and brightest, Agent Sarah Walker…." The name roused a great deal of interest. Chuck had heard of her. She was rumored to be drop dead gorgeous and equally deadly. Bryce had claimed she was going to be his partner…until he "got stuck" with Chuck. But both of them knew that their partnership was for the best and they cherished it. Even Beckman's men seemed to be interested now.

"She's gone rogue."

The words caused Chuck's jaw to drop, and Bryce to lean forward, both of them shocked. She'd been their only rival in success ever since they joined the agency. She was peerless until they came, and even so, some of her feats were unparalleled. So why on earth would she leave everything behind?

"A romance?" Bryce stated what everyone was thinking.

"Agent Walker?" Beckman scoffed at the idea. "Never."

"What was her mission at the time?" Chuck inquired thoughtfully.

"She was doing a simple extraction- nothing of importance." Beckman sighed. "It doesn't add up."

"How do we know she's rogue?" Chuck immediately stood up. "What if she's been captured?"

"That's what we aim to find out. Whether she's MIA or to be burned…that remains to be seen."

"Where was she headed last?" Chuck asked curiously, Bryce now intent on finding out as well.

"She was scheduled to be at a party, for one Peyman Alahi. She's to extract a diamond he has there, one we believe he's using to fund his drug smuggling operations. She was to be joined by an accomplice of the DEA, someone she knew personally…she just never reported back." Beckman finished dryly.

"What's our order?" Bryce rose.

"Find her and bring the diamond." Beckman stated with an air of finality.

"Priority?"

"Both. There are two of you for a reason." Beckman stated, she turned sharply and retrieved the mission file, throwing it on the desk. "You leave in an hour."

Chuck and Bryce finished suiting up quickly, gelling their hair back into a slick look. Chuck glanced over the file as Bryce loaded up with pistols and knives, getting some for Chuck as well.

"It says here that the diamond is guarded by lasers." Chuck noted. "Not to mention a state of the art alarm system, with a DI compatible-"

"Chuck." Bryce rolled his eyes. "We can crack it no problem."

"Okay...Bryce?"

"Yeah?" He replied, straightening his tie in the mirror.

Chuck rose, opening his suit jacket to holster his glock 9mm in place. "I don't think she's rogue."

"Why not?" Bryce agreed, but decided to play the devil's advocate.

"It doesn't add up, from what I've heard…."

"Nothing in the CIA does, Chuck." Bryce reminded with a dry chuckle.

"Yeah, but I think…I think she's taking some downtime." Chuck guessed. "Maybe something personal?" He knew her closest mentor, Graham, had died not too long ago…maybe a week?

"If she's not there…Beckman's going to have her ass." Bryce replied steadily.

"You think Graham would've been softer?" Chuck asked sadly.

"I know it. He was her "wildcard…."

Chuck bit his lip. Langston Graham was a mentor and friend. His life was ended too soon, by a group the CIA knew little to nothing about. But when the trail was discovered…there'd be hell to pay.

"Ready?" Chuck glanced at his blue eyed comrade.

"Let's get us a blonde and a diamond." Bryce grinned.

**End Chapter One**


	2. Chapter 2: An Extended Leave

**A note : **Shorter chapter, but a more frequent update .My apologies, should be much better next time.

**Chapter Two: An Extended Leave**

**-WESTSIDE HOTEL, LOS ANGELES, CA/ SUITE 666/ 5:00 PM-**

"You had to break and enter?" Sarah Walker was crossing her arms, staring at her friend in disbelief. The window was open, a little blood was on the floor, and her best friend was lying on the ground at her feet, wearing a full black body suit; the ones specially designed for missions.

"What's the matter Walker?" Her friend took in the sight of Sarah. She looked good, a lot better than last time. She was slim; maybe more fit than last time, if that was possible. Her golden hair shined, her face still angelic. How…boring. Still, it gave Carina Miller a warm feeling to see her best friend doing well. "Scared of a little one on one?"

"Judging by how well I kicked your ass, I'd say no." Sarah retorted, glancing at the red stained carpet. It was really only Carina's lip; a result of a nice hook from Sarah. Had Carina been slower than that, she'd have lost a tooth. She only escaped with a tiny scratch; easily concealed.

"CIA trains you to talk like that?" Carina smirked, holding out her hand.

Sarah allowed a smirk of her own, extending her hand out to help Carina up. "DEA teach you to lose like that?"

Carina let out a little laugh. Sarah realized there and then that she missed the company Carina had to offer. Her equally gorgeous red headed friend was sorely missed.

"How's life?" Carina asked, thumping back onto the bed with a tissue to her lip.

"Which one?" Sarah asked with a deep and cutting humor, something only an agent could grasp.

"Come on now, I thought Graham had you nice and stable now?"

Sarah glanced down. Immediately, Carina picked up on her slight loss of composure.

"No…" Carina began. She'd met Graham personally…he was her best friend's saving grace, ever since she was a fresh recruit and her father became a jailbird. "No way…"

"I don't know who did it…" Sarah cut Carina off. "All I know is…." She took a second, and then continued. "General Diane Beckman is in charge; she's running a joint CIA and NSA project, it's a bit confusing." Sarah regained her composure and pressed on. "These few missions I'm on…their just things to keep me busy, I know they haven't got any leads on the assholes behind it."

"Sarah…" Carina began. "That's terrible."

"It's done." She concluded. "Plus, we've got a mission to get to."

Carina blinked, thinking of the specs she was told. "Peyman….something…"

"Alahi." Sarah supplied.

"What's his deal? The diamond?" Carina asked.

"They believe he's using it as a sort of funding for his drug business." Sarah replied. "That's what we aim to recover tonight."

"And then you go back to Beckman with the diamond, or is it mine to take to the boss?" Carina asked.

"Actually…I haven't been speaking with her…these last two days. I've taken….a "extended leave". "

Carina's jaw nearly dropped. "Am I hearing things or did you just say that you, Sarah Walker, did not report back the second you were ordered to?"

Sarah sighed. "I'm just trying to think things through."

"What if they think you're AWOL?" Carina tried to put sense in her mourning friend.

"What if?" Sarah repeated. "They'll shut up once the diamond is theirs. I'm just… tired of being their…"

"Wildcard?" a voice supplied; a man's.

The two girls, so deep in their emotions and conversation, refused to hear the door being picked and opened.

"Who the hell are you?" Sarah turned, smith and Wesson aimed at the head of the front man. Sarah took them in for the first time, eyes trailing down their bodies. The front man was very handsome; bond like. He was shorter than the one behind him, with sharp blue eyes and a chiseled face. He was the CIA poster-boy as far as Sarah was concerned. The on behind him was taller. His eyes were warm….they were chocolaty, like- Sarah pulled herself back into analyzing him. His face was equally as warm, his brown hair shorter than the front man's, clean and cut. He looked….different. He looked good.

"Easy…" The front man began, eyeing Sarah and Carina with his hands up, the man behind him doing the same. Sarah noticed that they were both dressed in elegant suits and tuxes…she felt like she was a college girl being courted. "I'm Agent Bryce Larkin and this is-"

"Charles Bartowski…" Sarah breathed, realizing the famous duo from work. What the hell were they doing here?

"What do you two want?" Carina asked, rolling her eyes. She eyed Bryce with an odd stare.

"Is that any way to treat-"

The taller man stepped in front, his cologne suddenly present and intoxicating. "I'm so sorry…" He noticed Sarah was in casual jeans and a t shirt, and the red head was in a tactical suit, for some odd reason. "What my partner here means to say is; General Beckman sent us to aid you and bring you home safely, Agent Walker."

Sarah felt an odd feeling at his last couple of words, but she masked it immediately with slight hostility.

"You can tell Beckman I'm fine and I'll be in Langley in less than 24 hours." Sarah stated.

Chuck immediately realized that he needed to diffuse the situation. "I'm sure you're more than capable, Agent Walker….I mean….you're…..legendary…" Chuck tried not to gush over her.

Sarah almost felt the ghost of a smile tug at her lips.

"We…ah….we'll be next door. We'll be back in an hour….?" Chuck tried.

"Okay." Carina answered for Sarah and practically shut the door on the two suave men.

Turning to Sarah she looked for a reaction.

"Huh…." Was all Sarah said as she strutted into the bathroom to get ready. Carina couldn't tell if she was shocked or irritated.

/*/

The hour had passed relatively quickly for the guys as they retreated to their room next door.

"That went well, didn't it?" Chuck seemed to repeat. He couldn't get rid of the gorgeous image that was Sarah Walker from his mind. Her blonde locks, sharp blue eyes, amazing physique. She was perfection, in every sense of the word.

"Yeah, she's probably going to leave with out us." Bryce laughed. "But man, did you see her?!" he acted as if he'd just found love. Chuck knew from experience; he was far from it. "She was smoking hot! And the girl with her….I don't know who she was, but-"

"Yeah, I got it…" Chuck shushed him discreetly, but Bryce caught on.

"Whoa….are you okay?" Bryce comically waved a hand in front of his face. "They're unbelievable and you don't care?"

"I'm…..trying to focus on the mission." Chuck replied.

"It's a classic in and out." Bryce replied, smirking. "Plus, I was thinking, after the mission-"

"No." Chuck simply replied, going out to the ladies' room next door.

/*/

"At least they've developed knocking skills…" Carina mumbled. She was adding the finishing touches to her makeup. "But Walker…"

"Yes?" Sarah was loading up on her knives and weapons, seeming occupied but listening well.

"They were good looking." Carina licked her lips seductively.

Sarah rolled her eyes, but her stomach gave a little flutter. "And?"

"You and I…we could use some fun."

"AIDS doesn't sound fun, Carina." Sarah replied, pulling her tight dress back down to cover her sheathes of knives.

"You find a way to suck the fun out of everything, Walker."

"Then I'm doing my job well." She went to answer the door.

Upon opening it, she nearly lost her breath. Chuck, on the other side, could say the exact same thing.

"Ar…..are….." Chuck swallowed, feeling embarrassed already. " Ahem…" he cleared his throat. "Are you ready to go…? I mean, not that I need to ask, you couldn't look more beautiful…." It just poured out of him.

Sarah felt an odd, tingle in her gut, and then a flush on her cheeks. Maybe she was getting sick?

She was dressed in a gorgeous, short, tight black dress, with matching heels. Her makeup was perfect and she looked gorgeous and elegant.

"Thank you, Agent-"

"Please, call me Chuck…" Chuck smiled, extending his hand out for her to formally shake it. "My friends call me that."

"In that case, Chuck…" Sarah shook his hand. "Call me Sarah."

Bryce leaned against the doorway after greeting and getting on a first name basis with Sarah as well. He felt a sort of shock when he saw Sarah's friend….(Carina, was it)? coming through the doorway. She was dressed in a similar dress, though her approach was red. Damn, she looked sexy.

She simply gave Bryce a smirk and a quick wink as she walked out, Bryce following suit like a little puppy. It was incredibly funny for Chuck to watch.

"So…our covers?" Chuck asked quickly, making sure the hallway was secure.

"I'll take Agent….Larkin here as my man…." Carina smirked at Bryce, who was too far in bliss to speak.

"Okay….." Sarah glanced at Chuck , trying not to highlight the awkward second.

"Then I guess we'll date…" Chuck began. "I mean-you know…"

"Yeah Chuck." Sarah allowed herself the first real smile since Graham's passing. "I got it."

**End Chapter Two.**


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